Never Grieve Alone
by puzzlemistress
Summary: Even as Eliza Grav took her last breath the light of Gus's life faded. Everything he did was not only for Master Spectra, but to make sure his mother was able to recieve the care that she needed. BAsically on his own to bury his mother the piece of advice Eliza gave him repeated in his mind as Spectra, no Keith, reached out to help him. "Never grieve alone." T for cursing. ENJOY


It started as a typical day. Gus was in the dining area, eating his breakfast when he received a phone call. He was sitting unwillingly with Mylene, Lynk, Volt, and Shadow Prove. He got up and left for the hallway.

"Aren't you going to excuse yourself?" Mylene asked rudely.

"I just did," he walked out with Vulcan on his shoulder into the hall.

He looked at the caller ID to see it was the hospital. With a heavy sigh, he answered the phone while leaning on the wall.

"Hello."

_"Is this Gus Grav?"_

"Hello Middas, how is she?"

_"I'm not going to sugar coat this Gus, but it is looking grim. She wants you to come and see her. She said, and I quote, 'i want to see both of my sons before I leave this bloody place.' you know how much she hates this place."_

"Sounds like her. I'll come shortly."

_"Gus, there is something we need to discuss when you get here."_

"Of course," he hung up the phone and sighed sadly while he ran his fingers through his hair.

"She's not doing well, is she?" Vulcan said sadly.

"Nope. She wants to see us before…"

"Gus, are you ready, for what happens if she doesn't recover."

"Vulcan, I don't wanna think about that right now."

"Of course, I'm sorry."

"I know I have to figure everything out when it gets to that, and Lords, please stop that from, but that doesn't mean it doesn't scare me to death."

"It terrifies me, as well. We will get through this together. I am here for you, just like you are here for Master Spectra."

"The same goes for me. We are brothers, after all."

"Brothers," he moved closer to Gus's neck.

"Thank you, Vulcan, for everything you have done and for all you had put up with."

"Like I said before, brothers."

"Now, let us go and finish our breakfast. You know that Mylene will have something quick to say," Gus walked back with Vulcan on his shoulder.

He went back to the dining room and took his seat, acting as nothing happened. This angered Mylene as a look of disgust as he sat down.

"I hope that was a pleasant phone call."

"That isn't any of your concern Mylene,"

Gus ate the last few bites of his meal before rising. Reaching for his jacket that was draped over his chair he began to make his exit.

"Running to your precious master spectra bitch boy," Shadow taunted.

"I love how you believe you have any room to talk when Mylene controls you like a savage."

Gus continued his path out of the hall, the annoying squawking of Mylene's voice fading as he went to the elevator. Gus was heading to the laboratory to where Spectra would be there. He tended to have meals sent to the lab when he was working on results. As he approached the labor, he noted that Spectra's mask laid on the space next to his plate. Turning his head, Gus called out to him.

"Master Spectra, may I come in?"

"Come in Gus,"

Spectra placed his mask back on his face as he turned to face Gus.

"How did you sleep Master Spectra,"

"Well, Gus, thank you for asking."

"Master Spectra, I must ask for a personal favor."

Gus walked further into the room and stood next to Spectra, hands calmly behind his back.

"I have a personal matter I need to attend too. This is a highly sensitive and short-timed matter."

"This better not have anything to do with the Resistance."

"No, Master Spectra."

"Very well, you may leave, but I need you back in six hours. Understand?"

"Yes, Master Spectra. Thank you," he left quickly out of the room and headed to the hospital.

* * *

After a fifteen minutes ride, Gus arrived at the hospital. He made his way to Midas's station as he mentally prepared himself for what news he was about to hear.

"Good morning Midas."

"Good morning Gus. You know where her room is, go right on in," he motioned to door with his head while his eyes move to the paperwork that was being passed to him.

He took a deep breath and walked into the room. Gus opened the door, see his pale bluenette mother lying in bed with an oxygen mask on her face, connected to wires. She looked at him with tired eyes and smiled weakly.

"G-gus, you c-came."

"Of course I did," he held his hand open for Vulcan could sit on it, "Vulcan is here too."

"M-my sons," she extended her trembling hand to him.

He floated to her hand quickly and waddled to her shoulder, nuzzling into her neck.

"Hello mother, how are you feeling?"

"I-I am hanging on. Ho-how are you two?"

"We are well, mother," Gus sat next to her on the bed. "I am so sorry that we haven't come by to see you more."

"I understand th-that you have important work to do. Ar-are you comfortable the-there?"

"We are both very comfortable there. I work with someone truly close to me."

"Ju-just one?"

"The rest of them have different agendas than my co-worker."

"Th-that is go-good, my son. I-I hope you are no-not working yourself or Vulcan too hard."

"Of course not mother," Vulcan said.

"Good, I-I would hate to have come to your boss and b-beat some sense into him," Gus chuckled softly as a smile graced her lips.

"You would leave him shaking in his boots mother,"

Eliza started to chuckled softly, but it began to make her cough. Gus and Vulcan panicked and tried to soothe her, carefully raising a glass of water to her slightly cracked lips. She calmed down and took deep, shaky breaths to sip the water softly. It broke both of them to see the woman who they loved more than themselves, slowly dying in a hospital still, though she had a bright gentle smile on her face. As if she wasn't touching death at all.

"I am fine, boys. R-really. I-I haven't laughed in a lo-long time," this shattered his heart to even bigger pieces.

"I'm sorry, mother," he turned his head to hide the tears.

"Gus, Vulcan, look at me," Vulcan moved from her shoulder to look at her, "I do-don't want you to be sad about thi-this. Th-this is okay. I'm going to be okay."

All he could do was hold his mother's hand. He couldn't bear to hear the words she spoke. He kissed her delicate hand and then her temple.

"I love you, mother."

"I love you too, my son. I love the b-both of you."

"I'm gonna talk to the doctor, okay. I'll be right back. Vulcan, stay with her," he got off the bed.

"Of course," he went back to her shoulder and snuggled closer to her.

Gus smiled at the two of them before walking out of the room.

"Vulcan, I need you to promise me one thing. Bef-fore I pass into the next life."

"Mother, you are not going to pass away any time soon," Vulcan said while using his face to stroke her jaw.

"Promise me to protect my boy. Gus is all I have left in this world. Promise this to me. Please."

Vulcan moved from her neck to look into her eyes. He hated how he could see the desperation in her eyes. The desperation oozed from her voice. His own sphere form began to shake as tears pricked down her cheek.

"I promise, mother."

"She is not going to make it through the night. Her vitals are slowly beginning to fall. The only thing we can do is to make her comfortable. Gus, I am so-"

"If we were able to operate on-"

"-she would not survive the surgery. The last time we tried to do a transplant, it nearly killed her. Her body physically can not do another surgery. We have done everything we could for her Gus."

Midas turned his head to calm himself as his eyes stung with salty tears. He reached his hand out to Gus and held his palm tightly. Gus stood in silence as the world around him began to crash. Not a fist landing on his fast but a slow descent of a ship bracing itself for an emergency landing. Gus pulled his hand away as he embraced the worn doctor.

"Thank you for everything you have done for my family."

The doctor pulled himself together as he embraced Gus, rubbing his back.

"I wish I could do so much more. Eliza deserves so much more."

Pulling away, the pair walked to her room. Gus sat on the bed and held her hand and smiled at her. As the tears streamed down his cheeks, he dedicatedly gripped her hand.

"Gus,"

"Y-es," he whispered while he swallowed the lump in his throat.

"You did everything you could. Say it."

"I-I did everything I could."

As she slowly blinked her eyes, she smiled at her sons. Her boys. The sounds of the hospital morphed as if her ears were clogged. She could see the look on their faces, but all she could do was smile. She could not hear her own laughter as she coughed. As she took several last breaths, she said as loud as her voice would allow her, I love you, my sons. Her eyes closed as she saw her husband waving to her as he ran toward her.

Gus and Vulcan did not scream. As soon as Midas began to call out for the nurses for code red Gus gripped his wrist. Gus told him to listen as the sound of her laughter echoed over the loudly beeping machine. This is how she wanted to leave this world. The brightest smile on her face, her laughter. They repeated I love you to her over and over as she took her last breath. It was over. She was not suffering. Eliza was free to run and play and laugh and dance again. It would just be with his father instead of with Gus. As the machine let out a final cry of her life, he hung his head, pulled Vulcan to the crock of his neck, and cried. Out of sorrow or relief, he could not honestly tell. He just allowed himself to weep. Leaning down to gently kiss her forehead, his tears damped her face.

"Eliza Grave, age 57, time of death, 09:25 hours in the morning, on the twenty-second day of the tenth month of the year," Midas said as tears silently trailed down his face.


End file.
